The Victorian Definition of Love

Chapter 1: An Alluring Escape

The sound of dancing waves that rings in my head reminds me the song of sirens. Sound of Birds wings flapping against my eardrums raises when a gust of wind blows against my wet skin. There is that continuous ticking sound of clock, repetitively coming from somewhere far but close. My eyelashes flutter close on the first attempt to open them when a piercing bright light comes to interact with my eyes creating rainbows in my vision, hot and radiant on blue surface. Glittering dust flying like swarming bees. Am I in heaven? But what possible good things did I do to come here?

I try to open my eyes a bit more just to realize that I am lying on a wooden box hard as rock and facing the sun while birds and clouds are painting the blue sky. Same wooden boxes are all around me and I am in the middle of a sea. A loud sea. But there is no clock around anywhere. Then why am I hearing the ticking of clock?

Main conclusion- I am not dead. 

Then where am I?

I look around for answers, but my head is aching enough for me to not remember anything. Just glimpses.

I try to catch the glimpses of my memory. I try to visualize my mind when it starts to play memories from the previous day.

"Are you really sure that these are the dresses I have to wear from? Because they look old-fashioned," I ask one of the maids of my uncle's mansion.

I don't want to start the new year seeing their faces so, better end it today and start the new year without them freshly.

"That's the point. This new year party is 19th century themed. So, everyone is going to dress up like people from the 19th," the maid explains to me a little bit nervous after all the questions I threw at her.

I don't like the whole party idea. But that's what made my cousins want to do it more.

I grope and go through all the dresses displayed before me. Perfectly Victorian gowns. Perfectly intolerable.

"This one?" I ask this time holding a dress that makes her furrow.

"Oh no! I don't think it'll suit you. It's too flat and the colour is a bit off. This won't fit your curves either," she states all the reasons why I shouldn't wear this gown.

"It's too old fashioned," she adds nervously rubbing her knuckles and walking in circles.

"I thought that's the point," I make her remember her own words.

"I don't think your aunt or cousins will like this dress," she says this as her final argue. A sigh as a sign of surrender.

"Perfect, I'll wear this one!" I announce smiling.

I also prefer doing things that they wouldn't like. She just gave me a reason.

After getting ready I step into the party. The pompous arrangements totally resemble their hosts. I look around and catch my reflection on the huge mirror hanging on the wall. And a weird slender girl stare back at me. Oh! is that me?

My body is draped with a comparatively less flared but layered gown with an embellished bodice and long sleeves puffed at the shoulder and ruffled waistline. The colour is close to the lightest shade of coffee matching my fair skin tone. My caramel brown hair is styled in a simple chignon. Some curly strands playing on my face. And the dark circles underneath my hazel eyes are hardly concealed by the foundation or does my regular oval face looks a bit skinnier?

Averting my eyes from the mirror I try to count the guests. The chandeliers are lighting the whole hall while the walls are decorated with mirrors, golden curtains and some peculiar ancient painting. The reflection of the entire arrangements is gleaming on the tiled floor and that's where I see the reflection of the most annoying being I know.